KURRAM / PESHAWAR: At least 39 people, including seven women and a nine-year-old girl, were killed and 28 others injured when a convoy of passenger vehicles was ambushed in Lower Kurram on Thursday, officials confirmed, fearing that the death toll may rise further.

The attack occurred in the Mandori Charkhel area, a region with a history of sectarian tensions and land disputes.

Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mehsood said the convoy, consisting of some 200vehicles, was on its way from Parachinar to Peshawar when it came under heavy gunfire.

Twelve injured passengers, including two women, were shifted to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Tall, while 16 others were transported to Tehsil Hospital Alizai.

Sources said the attack, which occurred around 1:20pm, appeared to be retaliation for an Oct 12 assault that claimed 15 lives, including those of two women and a child. Local officials expressed concerns that the situation might escalate further, with tensions running high in the tribal district.

Mr Mehsood told the AFP news agency that two separateconvoys of Shia passengers were targeted in two attacks.

`Approximately 10 attackers were involved in both incidents, firing indiscriminately from both sides of the road,` he said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the incident.

`Five minutes of shooting` Ajmeer Hussain was among those attacked and taken to a local hospital for treatment.

`Gunfire suddenly erupted, and I started reciting my prayers, thinking these were my final moments,` Mr Hussain, a 28-yearold victim being treated at a local hospital, told AFP.

`I laid down at the feet of the two passengers sitting next to me. Both of them were struck by multiple bullets and died instantly,` he added. `The shooting lasted for about five minutes.

Kurram district, which borders Afghanistan, has long experienced sectarian violence, often fuelled by disputes over land ownership between communities.

The government had earlier appointed a land commission to resolve the matter. While the commission has reportedly submitted its findings, the government has yet to make the report public, citing sectarian sensitivities.

Speculationalsosurroundsthe involvement of the banned terrorist group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has recently been active in Lower Kurram, prompting fears among the residents. But government officials attributed the incident to the ongoing land dispute, ruling out sectarian motives.

A tribal elder of Tori Bangash tribes, Jalal Bangash, urged authorities to immediately evacuate stranded passengers and take steps to ensurethe safety of the injured.

Mr Bangash and Allama Tajammal Hussain condemned the attack, stressing the failure of state institutions to secure transportation routes despite previous peace efforts, including a mass march by locals from Parachinar to Islamabad.

PM, CM condemn incident Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, saying in a statement that `the enemies of peace in the country have attacked a convoy of innocent citizens, an act that amounts to sheer brutality`.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and Chief Minister AliAminKhanGandapur also condemned the attack.

Mr Gandapur ordered the reactivation of a jirga to de-escalate the conflict and ordered the formation of a provincial highway police force to secure transportation routes, according to a statement from the Chief Minister`s Secretariat.

The chief minister also directed provincial ministers, lawmakers and senior officials to visit the area and submit a detailed report.

He pledged that those responsible for the attack would be brought to justice and directed all relevant institutions to work towards restoring peace in the region.

`Criminal silence` The attack drew strongcondemnation from political and religious leaders.

Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) announced nationwide protests and a mourning period against the attack on unarmed civilians.

Addressing a press conference at the National Press Club in Islamabad, MWM General Secretary Syed Nasir Abbas Shirazi and other party leaders criticised the provincial and federal governmentsfor failing to protect civilians. He particularly criticised CM Gandapur, federal Minister of Interior Mohsin Naqvi and the inefficiency of security institutions.

`More than 50 people have been martyred. We condemn the criminal silence of the interior minister,` he added. `The rulers want to run this country at the cost of our blood.

`This is not a Shia-Sunni problem. The responsibility for the blood of these innocent passengers lies with law enforcement agencies, he said.

Jamiat Ulema-i-1slamFazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman also expressed sorrow over the killings. In a statement, he called the incident a failure of federal and pro-vincial governments, institutions and law enforcement agencies, lamenting their inability to maintain law and order.

`Decisions to launch operations are made every day, but terrorism is notunder controlnow,`he said.

Kalbe Ali in Islamabad also contributed to this report